NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team hit the road on Sunday afternoon and handed Merrimack a four-set loss in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play at the Warriors' Hammel Court in North Andover, Mass.
Camryn Luginbuhl continued her run as one of the best players in the MAAC, racking up 17 kills and 16 digs, one shy of her career-high in digs.
Gaby Zovko also filled up the stat sheet with 31 assists on the team's 44 kills, with seven kills, six digs and two blocks.
Miliani Villarreal led SHU's defensive efforts with 15 digs, her fifth straight match with 15+ digs. Fellow first year
Molly Newton put together one of her best outings of the season with a season-best five kills and five blocks.
Records:
Sacred Heart: 12-14, 8-6 MAAC
Merrimack: 6-19,5-9 MAAC
Top Performers:
Camryn Luginbuhl: 17 kills, 16 digs
Gaby Zovko: 31 assists, 7 kills, 6 digs, 2 blocks
Miliani Villarreal: 15 digs
How It Happened:
The Warriors owned the early lead in the first, 8-6, before SHU put together a 5-0 surge to go up 11-8. Sacred Heart added to its advantage with a couple of small runs, icing the set with a 6-1 spurt to earn a 25-17 win.
Merrimack was again up at the start of the second, 7-3, before the Pioneers again answered by tying the score at 7-all. After trading the next few points, the Warriors retook a four-point lead, 15-11, by winning four straight points. SHU retaliated with a 4-0 run of its own to even the score at 15-15, which led to more back-and-forth play. The Pioneers put together another impressive closing stretch to take the second, winning seven of the last eight points to seal a 25-21 victory.
Following a close 26-24 loss in the third set, SHU took an 11-9 lead early in the fourth. After the Warriors used a 5-1 run to build a 14-12 advantage, the Pioneers put together a thrilling 9-1 run to go ahead 21-15. Luginbuhl was all over the surge with a trio of kills. Sacred Heart's lead was more than enough to secure the win, as SHU took the fourth by a 25-20 final score.
Up Next:
Sacred Heart is back at the Pitt Center on Saturday, Nov. 9, to play Niagara at 6 p.m.
